Man shot dead after taking child hostage in Cavite

Published February 6, 2014 11:01pm

(Updated 12:23 p.m., Feb. 7) A man was shot dead Thursday evening, hours after taking an eight-year-old boy hostage at knifepoint in Kawit in Cavite province.

The child was rescued after police Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) operatives fired on the hostage-taker, radio dzBB's Glen Juego reported.

The report said local officials tried at first to negotiate for the boy's release.

During the negotiations, the hostage taker was given food, the report added.

While the dzBB report did not name the hostage-taker nor the boy, it said the two were not related.

Before 11 p.m., the SWAT team gunned down the hostage-taker.

Governor Juanito Victor Remulla said the SWAT team had no other recourse.

"Napilitan na kami dahil kawawa na yung bata (We were forced to end this because we pitied the child)," Remulla said.

In a separate report on GMA News TV's News To Go on Friday, Remulla said: "Ang tansiya namin, bumabaon na ang blade sa leeg ng bata, at noong nangyayari iyon, nag-call na kami, first option, kuhanin na ang opportunity."

"Ang desisyon namin, go na 'to, kahit anong mangyari, go na natin 'to," he added.

Marital issue

In a separate interview, Superintendent Gerry Umayao, Cavite provincial police spokesman, said police seized a kitchen knife, five used shells, a fired bullet, a bullet fragment, seven pieces of antipsychotic drug Clozapine, and 14 pieces of tengretol tablets from the scene.

Remulla said the incident may have stemmed from the suspect's conflict with his wife, an overseas worker in Hong Kong.

"Ayon sa kapatid, 'yung si Bayani daw ay may OFW na asawa, nasa Hong Kong. Tatlong buwan na raw sila hindi nag-uusap, at nung dumating na ang Pasko, nag-iiba na ang personality niya, habang sa nag-psychotic breakdown na siya," he said.

Meanwhile, Senior Superintendent Joselito Esquivel, provincial director of the Cavite police, said prior to the incident, the suspect was restless.

"'Yung kapatid niya mismo, si Nelia, sinabi niyang apat na araw nang 'di natutulog ang kanyang kapatid, at balisa," he said. — with Amanda Fernandez/ELR/RSJ, GMA News

Tags: hostage, hostagetaking, cavite